APGA CRISIS SPLITS OJUKWU’S FAMILY AS SON GETS BOT SLOT

Interim leadership fixes convention for April   

Umeh asks A’Court to reverse High Court’s order

The leadership crisis rocking the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has taken yet another dimension as two prominent members of the family of Chief Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, the late founder of the party, Ambassador Bianca Ojukwu and Chief Chukwuemeka Odimegwu Ojukwu (Jnr.) have been pitched against each other in opposing camps.

Eleven members of the National Working Committee (NWC), 35 state chairmen and 29 National Executive Committee (NEC) members of APGA loyal to the Chief Victor Umeh leadership, Wednesday appointed the son of the late leader of the party, Emeka Ojukwu as a member of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT).

On the other hand, Ojukwu’s widow, Bianca is a prominent member of the other faction of APGA loyal to the Deputy party leader and the Anambra State Governor, Mr. Peter Obi.

The nomination of Ojukwu’s son came on the heels of a counter move by the  interim National Chairman of APGA, Maxi Okwu who said a brand new APGA would emerge at the national convention of the party slated for the middle of April.

Okwu who disclosed this at an interactive session with journalists Wednesday in Abuja, expressed optimism that the ongoing reconciliation in the party was yielding fruitful results.
He said  many aggrieved members of the party, including the Igbo Delegate Assembly (IDA), a renowned group of Igbo professionals with national spread who produced the APGA’s documents at the inception of the party, have indicated interest to return to the party.

“Our efforts to reconcile the aggrieved members of the party is yielding fruitful results. There are some hiccups here and there but we are not shaky, “ he said.

However, the party’s ousted National Chairman Umeh,  at a meeting with state party chairmen in Abuja, insisted that he still remained in charge of the leadership of the party until the Appeal Court discharges his appeal against the earleir lower court judgment.
He said nobody, no matter how highly place, can intimidate the APGA leadership into submitting to illegality.

Umeh described the appointment of Emeka Ojukwu into the party’s BoT as a good omen and a symbolic resurrection of the late national leader of the party.

“ This is like the late Ikemba returning in flesh and blood to the party, “ he said.
Ojukwu junior had in a speech accepting his appointment stated that “I am humbled and honoured that you have entrusted me with the exceptional responsibility assumed by my late father as a member of the BoT.

“Joining your ranks at this time is made easier by the steadfastness and resilience you have all demonstrated over the past one year and a half since our leader passed away. Despite the unprecedented events confronting our great party, this body led by the indefatigable Umeh has resisted all attempts to destabilise and destroy what my father and all of you have built,” he declared.

Emeka Ojukwu noted that “at his feet I witnessed and learned many things. I can’t assert to you that Eze Igbo had the utmost confidence in Umeh’s leadership. He trusted him implicitly and relied on him even when on some occasions, he disagreed with Umeh, as a mark of the leader, he was and he would always dissect any pertinent matter, point by point, in order to convince us of his perspective. In the end Umeh would be proven right.

“In every democratic setup, room must be allowed for divergent opinions. To those that clamour for change within the leadership, I say to them, change, as always is inevitable. However our leader did teach us of the wisdom and benefits gained by adhering to the rule of law. Indeed our party’s historic rise to the positions of leadership in Anambra State first and Imo State, was a prime example of this” he added.
On those clamouring for change in the party,  Ojukwu said: “Our constitution provides us with ways to achieve change without rancour and our leader provided us with a lesson, which was that, above all, we should make every attempt to resolve our problems internally, without losing focus on our primary duty which is to set our personal ambitions aside and serve our people.

“While alive, we could always count on Eze Igbo to step in and bring the party together and make difficult decisions he believed were in the long-term interest of the party, our people and indeed our beloved Nigeria. However, his greatest achievements in this regard were not just limited to his successes in dealing with many crisis of past years” he added.

Meanwhile, Umeh has headed for the Enugu Division of the Court of Appeal to seek an order of stay of execution of the Enugu State High Court judgment pending the determination of his appeal against the decision of the lower court.

The Chief Judge of Enugu State, Justice Innocent Umezulike, had in his judgment delivered on February 8, in the motion brought before him by an expelled member of APGA, Ichie Jude Okuli, restrained Umeh from parading himself as APGA national chairman just as it held that the party’s convention held on February 10, 2011 to re-elect the national chairman and other officers “was unconstitutional, null and void.”

But in a 25-paragraph affidavit in support of his motion on notice for stay of execution of the lower court’s decision filed before the appellate court, Umeh stated that he had on February 11, applied to the lower court for an order of stay of execution pending the determination of his appeal.

Source: Thisday